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Chelsea Subway Attack May Be Linked To Brooklyn Stabbing Suspect
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 5, 2014
Modified Jun 5, 2014
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 5, 2014
Modified Jun 5, 2014
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Last night, police arrested the man suspected of killing a six-year-old boy and wounding a seven-year-old girl in an East New York elevator. Now officials are investigating whether Daniel St. Hubert, who the Chief of Detectives said had a "violent nature," is the perpetrator of yesterday's stabbing at the West 18th Street subway station in Manhattan.
Initially police said that a 53-year-old who was on the southbound 1 platform had been in a dispute with three other males. The victim was stabbed repeatedly in the torso around 5:30 a.m.; he was taken to the hospital in critical condition and is expected to survive. Now the NY Times reports, "The police said they were examining surveillance that had led them to link the attack to Mr. St. Hubert. No weapon was recovered." NYPD spokesman Stephen Davis said, "He’s definitely a suspect in that as well."
On Sunday just before 6 p.m., police say St. Hubert, 27, stabbed Prince Joshua "P.J." Avitto, 6, and Mikayla Capers, 7, in a building elevator at the Boulevard Houses on Schenk Avenue. Both children, who were headed to get ices, were stabbed repeatedly. P.J. died at the hospital while Mikayala survived—she is unable to speak, but she is responsive.
St. Hubert was arrested last night in South Ozone Park, Queens. Police had identified him after his DNA was taken from a knife found at the scene. The Wall Street Journal reports, "The city Office of the Medical Examiner received the knife Sunday and spent about 36 hours processing the DNA—considered to be a fast turnaround, a second law-enforcement official said. The DNA lifted from the knife was uploaded into a state offender registry, the official said. A match was found on Wednesday and turned over to the NYPD."
After getting St. Hubert's name, the police were pinging his cellphone during the press conference where the NYPD and Mayor de Blasio implored the public to help find St. Hubert. From the Post:
St. Hubert’s sister told police that he had shaved his beard, and a tipster had provided them with his cellphone number, sources said.
St. Hubert had a knife on him when he was found walking near 145 Street and 133rd Avenue in Jamaica, sources said.
“I was coming home from work when I heard tires screeching,” said Happy Singh, a witness to the bust. “I’m so happy they caught him. I have two children myself. And I feel like my kids are safe now.”
the police had pinged the cellphone within a hundred feet: A source told the tabloid, "When they tracked him down, everybody ran out of the different commands to go and capture this guy."
Police also suspect St. Hubert, who has nine prior arrests and is currently out on parole after choking his mother, in the killing of 18-year-old Tanaya Grant Copeland in East New York on Friday night. The teen had been returning from marching band practice.
A relative of St. Hubert told the Post, "I know he has a history of mental illness, but I don’t think he would do anything like this. I believe they have the wrong guy."
However, Mikayla Capers's great-grandmother said to the Times, "I want to see this bastard’s face. He’s not a crazy person; he’s just an animal who does not belong on the face of the earth. I don’t think he’s going to be a happy camper in incarceration this time around; people in prison have children, too."
Tagged
daniel st. hubert
east new york
fatal stabbing
mikayla capers
Prince Joshua Avitto
stabbing
Tanaya Grant Copeland
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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